US begins transporting French troops to Mali

An unidentified man takes a picture of the charred remains of trucks used by radical Islamists on the outskirt of Diabaly, Mali, some 460kms (320 miles) North of the capital Bamako Monday Jan. 21, 2013. French and Malian troops took control Monday of the town of Diabaly, patrolling the streets in armored personnel carriers and inspecting the charred remains of a pickup truck with a mounted machine gun left behind by the fleeing militants. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

SEGOU, Mali (AP) — U.S. Africa Command says American planes have begun transporting French troops and equipment in support of the country’s mission in Mali.

Tom Saunders, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany said Tuesday that the U.S. Air Force C-17 transport began flights on Monday from the French base in Istres, France, to Bamako.

He said two flights arrived in Bamako on Monday and a third arrived Tuesday morning.

Saunders said the missions will operate over the next several days. He said he could not give any details on how many more flights were envisioned for operational security reasons, and referred any questions about how much equipment and how many soldiers were being transported to the French Ministry of Defense.